? about setting carb goals for keto
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macchiatto
Posts: 2,890 Member
So I've read a bunch of articles and posts since deciding to start keto on 11/2. Trying to sort everything out and figure out exactly what I want to do (or try and see, since I know a lot of this is YMMV).
When setting your carb goals, I've seen "under 20 net," "under 20 total," "under 50 net is fine for most people to stay in ketosis." That's kind of a wide range. How do you decide where within that range to fall? If the test strips say I'm in ketosis when my net carbs are in the 20s/30s and I'm losing weight, is there any reason I should try harder to stay under 20? One article I remember said to stay under 20 the first two weeks for an "induction phase" and experiment after that with going up a bit. Is that good advice?
When setting your carb goals, I've seen "under 20 net," "under 20 total," "under 50 net is fine for most people to stay in ketosis." That's kind of a wide range. How do you decide where within that range to fall? If the test strips say I'm in ketosis when my net carbs are in the 20s/30s and I'm losing weight, is there any reason I should try harder to stay under 20? One article I remember said to stay under 20 the first two weeks for an "induction phase" and experiment after that with going up a bit. Is that good advice?
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And if it is good advice, I guess I haven't followed it very well.
Net carbs since starting have been 29, 25, 22, 30, 34, 49 (!), 58 (!! ... I struggled more on the weekend), 21, and 27.
When I switched to keto, I had 17.6 more lbs to lose. I've lost 6.2 of those since starting on 11/2. All I did was adjust macros, not calories, and I was already low carb (under 100 total) but really struggling to lose.0 -
Most the keto successes I follow online keep to 20 or fewer net carbs.0
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It really varies by person as to the exact number that keeps you in ketosis. It depends on so many things including your DNA and activity level. 20g total is certain to put anyone right in and start the ball quickly, tamping those cravings down. Most keto authorities, including Phinney and Volek (if I remember correctly), assert that most people really can be in under 50g total for certain without measuring ketones or worry. Between those is personal preference, really.
Some people report though that if they go over 30g they get kicked out of ketosis, and that may be the case for those who are extremely insulin resistant. You've bounced around in the range without noticeable effect, so I think we can assume that isn't the case for you.
I started at 20g total. And kept that for 6 mo. Many people, including myself, find that number to be very good at almost immediately squashing the daylights out of cravings. Eventually I slowly migrated to 20g net and upward. I'm fairly certain that I can go up to 60g total as long as I'm getting some fiber and still be "in" based on daily weigh-in behavior. It may be higher. Sometime soon I'll experiment to figure out my exact number. I'm doing 50g net carbs right now. I'm trying to get my chronic fatigue to go away completely. So I tweak.
Some people like to act like you get a keto trophy for the fewest carbs. There is no trophy. My advice is start anywhere at 20g total to 50g total. Do it consistently at a set level and see how things go. How do you feel? Is it sustainable? Are you happy with the results? If you find you have more cravings at 50g than 30g, and that bothers you, go down to 30 and stay.
As long as you are happy with your progress and feel well, continue.
Be aware though that just because you have scale pauses now and then, it doesn't mean it isn't "working" any more. The body is going to take pauses. You're upsetting its job at maintaining homeostasis and the body doesn't like that, so the scale will sit there for a bit while the body is thinking about it, or cleaning house by doing other things, like holding water in empty fat cells.
HTH.0 -
That's helpful! Thank you!
I overslept the morning after my 58gm net day and forgot to do a test but I did notice it was lighter (more mid-range than really high like the other mornings) the morning after the 49gm net day. Do I understand correctly that it doesn't matter how dark the strip is as long as it's positive? Maybe I'll try to stay under 30 net/50 total for now and maybe start to gradually increase a bit when I get closer to goal. (I'll stay relatively low-carb for life though, probably 100-120 total/day for maintenance but I'm open to staying lower long-term if that's what my body seems to need.)
Thankfully I've only struggled with cravings on two of the days, yesterday and I forget the other. I'll see if I can figure out a pattern there to help guide my goal-setting going forward. I'm trying to exercise 4-5 days a week.0 -
If you're just doing it for weight loss, then it's correct that I don't think it matters how deep in ketosis you are. If you're maintaining ketosis for other purposes, then you'd want to invest in a blood ketone meter to get actual numbers, anyway, for more precise measurements.0
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Good to know, thanks, Dragonwolf!0
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I believe in personal experimenting. If you're achieving your goals at 50g, then that's great. No reason to change anything.
In my experience, I tend to notice more hunger and even some sweet cravings if carbs start creeping toward 40. I also think I am able to lose weight more predictably and can get lower calories when I go very low to under 10g, but I have difficulty maintaining that level for more than a week. 20g seems much easier to me, but then I seem to maintain the same weight for longer periods of time before losing and I seem to eat slightly more calories... As far as ketone urine or blood testing, I keep very steadily in the moderate range. Very rarely dropping to small, only when carbs go up. I haven't quite figured out how my patterns make any sense, but I go from 20-30g to 5-10g in cycles, and it seems to mostly work for my goals right now.
Ultimately, it just has to work for you. Doesn't matter who's definition it fits into. And you may be able to go higher or lower as you progress.0 -
@baconslave thanks for the helpful responses and @macchiatto thanks for articulating a query i also had, so well. @Sunny_Bunny are you talking total or net? If total, any tips from you or others on dodging days of Constipation?0
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SamandaIndia wrote: »@baconslave thanks for the helpful responses and @macchiatto thanks for articulating a query i also had, so well. @Sunny_Bunny are you talking total or net? If total, any tips from you or others on dodging days of Constipation?
I am talking total. It's just easier nothing wrong with choosing to allow more carbs to accommodate veggies, but I would just count total for simplicity no matter what.
I have been experiencing constipation with this WOE for the first time in the last few weeks and I really think cheese is to blame for me. I am cutting back on it to see if it helps. I just did 66 hours of fasting because I basically refused to put anymore food in until some came out. Lol
Feeling much better now. Just need to prevent that from happening again.0 -
SamandaIndia wrote: »@baconslave thanks for the helpful responses and @macchiatto thanks for articulating a query i also had, so well. @Sunny_Bunny are you talking total or net? If total, any tips from you or others on dodging days of Constipation?
Constipation is actually not as much of an issue on this diet than a lot people think. Contrary to popular belief, fiber actually isn't that great at preventing/treating constipation.
However, one of the effects of this diet is decreased bowel movements, which are often mistaken for constipation. However, if you don't feel the need to go and aren't uncomfortable, then it's perfectly fine to go less frequently.
That said, it does happen sometimes, to some people. In a lot of cases, it just takes a little tweaking in the diet. Constipation is common among the people still afraid to eat fat (and therefore, eating a ton of protein and very little fat), or because of not drinking enough water (increased water needs). For others, it's a temporary thing as the body adjusts. Make sure you're getting enough water and fat and give it a few days. Also, check out how much soluble vs insoluble fiber you're consuming. The insoluble fiber might actually be causing the issue.
If you're still having trouble, both coconut oil and coffee (not necessarily together, but that is an option), as well as certain forms of magnesium (oxide, I think?) can help move things along.0 -
@Sunny_Bunny_ Can I just say that you're looking smokin' in your profile pic? Keep up the awesome work!0
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Dragonwolf wrote: »@Sunny_Bunny_ Can I just say that you're looking smokin' in your profile pic? Keep up the awesome work!
Thanks bunches! I seriously appreciate it!
I definitely was someone that previously was all about fiber due to IBS, but I immediately realized that my symptoms had drastically improved when I changed what I was eating. I no longer was concerned about fiber and I was going less frequently without any feelings of constipation. But, just in the last month, I've had two occurrences where I felt that uncomfortable, heaviness despite taking mag oxide, consuming 75% fats, coffee, coconut oil and not too much protein. The first time I found relief in a Starbucks Americano, I don't know why my coffee at home wasn't good enough, but their coffee did the trick! This second time, I just stopped eating for a bit because I just felt worse with every meal.
I really think overdoing the cheese is my problem. It's become a major part of my diet. More than I was eating previously, so I'm cutting back.
But as someone that has always made fiber a priority, I don't find I need to anymore.
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Sunny_Bunny_ wrote: »SamandaIndia wrote: »@baconslave thanks for the helpful responses and @macchiatto thanks for articulating a query i also had, so well. @Sunny_Bunny are you talking total or net? If total, any tips from you or others on dodging days of Constipation?
I am talking total. It's just easier nothing wrong with choosing to allow more carbs to accommodate veggies, but I would just count total for simplicity no matter what.
I have been experiencing constipation with this WOE for the first time in the last few weeks and I really think cheese is to blame for me. I am cutting back on it to see if it helps. I just did 66 hours of fasting because I basically refused to put anymore food in until some came out. Lol
Feeling much better now. Just need to prevent that from happening again.
mucho coffee usually solves that blockage problem for me. When I drink it on an empty stomach, it's almost like pressing a button.0 -
Sunny_Bunny_ wrote: »SamandaIndia wrote: »@baconslave thanks for the helpful responses and @macchiatto thanks for articulating a query i also had, so well. @Sunny_Bunny are you talking total or net? If total, any tips from you or others on dodging days of Constipation?
I am talking total. It's just easier nothing wrong with choosing to allow more carbs to accommodate veggies, but I would just count total for simplicity no matter what.
I have been experiencing constipation with this WOE for the first time in the last few weeks and I really think cheese is to blame for me. I am cutting back on it to see if it helps. I just did 66 hours of fasting because I basically refused to put anymore food in until some came out. Lol
Feeling much better now. Just need to prevent that from happening again.
mucho coffee usually solves that blockage problem for me. When I drink it on an empty stomach, it's almost like pressing a button.
I drink quite a bit of coffee and always start out with an empty stomach since coffe with coconut oil is all I have for breakfast. I may have built up a tolerance to that effect...0 -
I'm not surprised that the starbucks stuff did it for you. Theirs is usually a little stronger than what I brew at the house, especially if you get one of my favorites which is the Americano.0
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I'm not surprised that the starbucks stuff did it for you. Theirs is usually a little stronger than what I brew at the house, especially if you get one of my favorites which is the Americano.
Yes! Americano is the best! I got one today with sugar free peppermint and hwc, but I was bummed that I got there too early for the buy one get one free deal! I was gonna keep them both for myself!0 -
They definitely hit the spot
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